Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Do What I Want...

Dear hearts,

You think that when you become an adult – you can do what you want. The baby often says to me, after I admonish her for some infraction of etiquette...”Do what I want”. We both laugh knowing that she will find her manners, take her elbows off the table and find the correct grammer for the situation presently being discussed. I roll my eyes, but take heart that at least she knows the difference and can mix it in polite company with the best when she has to.

I am footloose and fancy free. The baby is in Melbourne celebrating her coming of age. Of sorts. As a very experienced holder of the fake ID, the child is no new comer to the nightclub, bar, pub et al. Having said this, it will be quite the novelty for her to “be legal”. I can see her swanning in to The Brunswick Green, ID held out like a badge, new brunette hair framing her beautiful face, daring any and all...to check her ID.

Miss Mich can remember herself, sneaking into The Charles hotel in Chatswood only to be horrified by her cousin finding her on the dance floor and making quite the scene over her “little” cousin sneaking into the pub. In those days, Dear hearts, it was easy. There really was no such thing as ID and if one had a decent cleavage that was all that was really required. Luckily Miss Mich ticked the booby box, had long blonde hair and had the place at her beck and call.

So, the question is...can you do what you want just because you are an adult?

Hmmm. Yes. And no.

There is no question that it actually gets harder to do what you want as you get older. It gets more complicated. There is the “relationship” (you know how much I loathe that word). The children. The mortgage. The credit cards and the “outgoings”. Not to mention the expectations and aspirations of your neighbours, work colleagues and extended family. And I haven't even started on the media, and social and cultural mores. It's quite scary once you realise how embedded we are into blindly working towards achieving these accepted levels of success.

Do what we want?...yes. As long as it conforms to what is expected. Personally, I have come a long way from the spoilt Eastern suburbs housewife who expected and had pretty much everything. Everything, as it turned out, except what I really really wanted. Spooky huh. It's all very well and good to have a big house, a European car and a country property, but seriously what good is all that when you do not have the warmth of another's belly. When you do not have someone you can lie with and speak with. Or not. When you do not have chest curls to curl up in, or another's breath that you can take as your own. Having had both Dear hearts, I say you can keep your big house, your European car and your country property. I will choose the Cottage and chest curls over any and all of that stuff.

Perhaps the key is to keep it simple. No new secret I know, but sometimes we need to be reminded that less is more and that simple is best. We really can do what what we want if we remain honest and true. And what we truly want may be tucked in behind all of that other stuff. The stuff of imposed expectation, social competitiveness and what everybody else is doing.

March to the beat of your own drums dear hearts. Find what it is that makes you truly happy.

And do what you want.

Enjoy yourself.

With love
Miss Mich

No comments:

Post a Comment